Although February is a "short" month, it was jam-packed with learning and fun activities! We celebrated Black History Month, American Heart Month, Valentine's Day, 100th Day, President's Day, and Read Across America Week - just to name a few! We had a visit from Captain Jack, the penguin from Jenkinson's Aquarium, sponsored by the Tewksbury PTA and we had several therapy dogs visit, organized by Ms. Robin Thompson, Supervisor of Special Education. The PTA hosted a Valentine Workshop and the book fair while our fourth graders participated in their Wellness Residency funded by TEF. We kicked off Read Across America Week with Breakfast Over Books and continued the week-long celebration with guest readers including Officer Papanastasiou, Sergeant Russo, Chief Barlow, Dr. Mitchell, Bob Hoffman, Dr. Shouffler, and Juan Torres, Hunterdon County Executive Superintendent. Our Kindergarten through second grade students are looking forward to the Seussabration sponsored by the TEA. Read on for more exciting TES news!

Sincerely,

Lisa Moore

Principal

In these two sessions a family member and their third grader can join us as a two-member team to:

• Understand the importance of learning mathematics

• Learn math games to support math skills and problem solving

• Enjoy doing mathematics together using math manipulatives

• Win prizes

There will be two nights of math fun for families Thursday, March 2, 2023 (Geometry) & Wednesday, March 15, 2023 (Problem Solving)

Time: 6:00-7:00pm

Location: TES Library You can register for both sessions or just one session. Registration is limited to 20 families per night.

Please Register Here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040D4EAFAA2FA5F94-family

Presented by: TES Teachers and Dr. Jennifer Shouffler (Superintendent and Curriculum Director at Tewksbury Schools)

Spread the word!

If you are a Tewksbury resident and are the parent or guardian of a child who will turn 5 before October 1, 2023, please register your child for Kindergarten at Tewksbury Elementary School. Please also share this with your neighbors and friends who have a child who will be 5 by October 1st.

The registration forms and information are available on our website or through this link:

Registration Document

To complete regisistration, you need to submit the form and provide the child's original birth certificate and three proofs of residency.

Please complete registration before March 15th.

The Universal Child Health form or a physical form from your child's doctor is required before school begins. That should be provided to the school with a copy of the student’s immunization record stamped and dated by the physician’s office. Here is a link to the Universal Child Health form: Health Care Form

Any registration questions, please contact Eileen Callahan at ecallahan@tewksburyschools.org or 908-832-2594 x2001.

Any medical questions, please contact Nancy Morogiello at nmorogiello@tewksburyschools.org or 908-832-2594 x2011.

On February 28th (weather permitting), the Tewksbury Education Association will host a Reading Seussabration after school for students in grades K, 1, and 2. Each grade will listen to a Dr. Seuss book and complete related crafts and activities. Kindergarteners will listen to Dr. Seuss' "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" and make a fish craft. First grader will listen to "Fox in Socks" and make a puppet. Second grade will listen to "Bartholomew and the Oobleck" and (of course) experience making their very own oobleck. Special snacks included Hop on Pop Popcorn and fresh fruit. We'd like to thank the teachers of the TEA for their dedication and participation.

Pre-K students have enjoyed February! They have explored lines of symmetry through shapes, especially hearts. Students have been given the opportunity to learn about organs, specifically hearts. They had fun playing with squishy toys in the shape of hearts. Students have also demonstrated cooperation through playing the game Operation! They have been learning about taking turns and shared with their friends!

- Mrs. Kovalsky

This month was a very busy month in Kindergarten. We learned about Groundhog's Day and President's Day and we also celebrated the 100th day of school as well as Valentine's Day! Our students practiced numbers up to 100 to ring in our 100th day. We had a great day with various 100th day art projects, STEM challenges, and counting groups of 10 up to 100. Our kinders also learned about the Country in which we live, the job of the President, and focused on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. In math, students focused on numbers to 100 as well as skip counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s. In Language Arts they have been working hard on learning digraphs, encoding and decoding CVC words, reading, and writing our “How to” books. With the warm weather, we have been enjoying some sunshine with our classmates as well as showing kindness to others.

- Mrs. Gentile and Mrs. Perticari

First Grade has had a fun-filled February! Time has flown by! Students learned to tell time to the hour and half hour and to represent time in multiple ways: on an analog clock, digitally, and in word form. Students explored the concepts of light and shadows. Students drew their shadows in the morning and then again in the afternoon. They were able to observe that shadows change throughout the course of the day. Students have been exploring non-fiction texts in both reading and writing. Students are using their expert voices to write informational texts.

- Mrs. Chapman, Ms. Picardo, Ms. Piesla, and Mrs. Saksa

This month we dove into a second grade tradition, Flat Stanley! We read the book Flat Stanley about a boy who becomes flat and can be mailed to different places. All of the students have made their own Flat Stanleys that have been mailed out. Throughout the remainder of the school year we will be getting postcards back from different states and countries all around the world! As the postcards come back we will learn more about the continents, countries, and our 50 states. This month we also celebrated Valentine’s Day with a mystery friendship gift exchange. Each student was secretly given a classmate to get a gift for. On Valentine’s Day all of the students exchanged their gifts and did other Valentine’s Day related activities. We also learned more about Martin Luther King Jr. Day and President’s Day. We are looking forward to our field trip coming up in March!

- Mrs. Bristow, Mr. Frankosky, Ms. Piesla, Mrs. Nugent, and Mr. Strange

What do hamburgers and paragraphs have in common? They are a way to organize “juicy details”. Third graders have just completed their first informational piece of writing, an article about an animal of their choice. Students brainstormed subtopics for their article with the use of a graphic organizer. They considered text structures, such as description and sequencing to help them to think through their topic. Our writers conducted brief research by paraphrasing sources or giving credit through the use of quotation marks. Students also included text features such as photos with captions, bold words, and a glossary. After learning their subject very well, third graders then crafted a catchy introduction and a thoughtful conclusion. Lastly, peers helped each other to revise and edit their work. Students are feeling very proud about how they have grown as writers. We hope you enjoy the juicy details as you read your child’s animal article!

- Mrs. Emge, Ms. Kouzis, Mrs. Fuentes, Mrs. Pill, and Mrs. Nichols

This month the 4th grade had a lot to celebrate! On February 9th, students celebrated the 100th day of school with special activities including building the tallest tower with 100 numbered cups (in order), building the tallest cake with Play-doh and candles, and building the number 100 using 100 legos! Less than a week later they enjoyed a Valentines celebration by exchanging Valentines and enjoying a pizza party! When we are not having fun, we are still exploring the different types of volcanoes and where they may occur. We continued to learn all about fractions by adding, subtracting and now multiplying them! In writing we wrote persuasive essays and practiced arguing different sides of a debate. In reading we are working on our reading comprehension skills by reading nonfiction articles, identifying the main idea and using text evidence to support our answers.

- Mrs. DelGrande, Mrs. Forsythe, Mrs. Fuentes, Mrs. Palmer, and Ms. Wade-Taffera

The students in Mrs.Forsythe's fourth grade class successfully completed their Cans for Caring Campaign. They collected 2,538 cans for the Open Door Food Pantry in Clinton! Well done!

Kindergarten artists have been working on color theory. We learned the colors of the rainbow and how the primary colors mix to make the secondary colors. First graders used colors, lines and shapes to create non-objective paintings. We then added a body shape to give this picture a subject. Second graders painted color wheels and have learned about warm and cool colors. They also had fun with a finger weaving activity. Third graders created beautiful, colorful winter mosaics and have just starting their clay unit. Fourth graders learned a fun weaving activity using a loom they created out of a cardboard tube. They are presently learning about the legend of freedom quilts in honor of Black History Month and designed their own paper quilts based on some of these symbolic patterns. In all of our classes, we are learning how art can communitcate without the use of words.

- Mrs. Wadler

During Enrichment this month, students shared their love of our community. They crafted beautiful Valentine's Day wreaths for senior residents at two local assisted living homes. We are very proud of the work the students did to brighten someone else's day! Additionally, students learned some fun magic tricks using sleight of hand and math! They also had the opportunity to practice painting a collage in art. Younger students enjoyed a game of teamwork and math en Espanol!

We have been beating the winter blues by playing a lot of wacky language-based games in Spanish class including some new ones called "La Puerta Magica" (the Magic Door) and "Oso Amarillo No Existe" (Yellow Bear Doesn't Exist). Ask your students if they enjoyed them! Fourth graders are writing skits about a fashion show to use their clothing vocabulary. Grades K-2 are looking forward to a fun TEF-funded assembly by Spanish-speaking musician 1,2,3 Andres in a few weeks!

- Senora Obercian

It is award season in the T.E.S. Library Media Center! Throughout February, we continued learning about the Caldecott Medal, which is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. We compared illustrations from many of the Caldecott Medal winners in our collection. Our younger students even played an energetic version of musical chairs with Caldecott winning books! Our older students started working on their “Surprise Book Project”! For this project, the third and fourth graders are picking out some of their favorite stories to share with our school community in a very creative way! Students are excited about the PTA Book Fair which will be taking place in the Library Media Center at the end of February.

- Ms. Rose-Mason

February was a tremendous musical month for our TES tigers. One of the most exciting parts of this month was the 3rd graders getting their recorders for the first time. As soon as they saw the recorders, they could not stop smiling! We will start a recorder karate packet where each student will earn karate belts for each song they learn. Each student will work hard to become black belt recorder masters! Our Kindergarten, first, and second grade students also explored the wonderful world of instruments. We learned about the different instruments families, such as the woodwinds and brass. They also had the opportunity to see some of these instruments in class and hear firsthand what they sound like. We are now looking forward to putting together our spring concert. We were so happy with how the winter concert went, so we are even more excited for the spring concert. Here’s to another musical month here at TES!

- Mr. Shaffer and Mrs. Polinger

Learning to use technology correctly is always a main focus in our classroom. Students in grades two and three are continuing to learn proper finger placement on the QWERTY keyboard. Typing is a valuable skill students will continue to use throughout their school years and beyond. Typing needs to be learned correctly now before incorrect habits start to form. Please continue to have students practice proper finger placement and typing at home by using our Typing Agent program. If you need to learn how to log on please reach out to me. Our Kindergarten and first grade students are using the Write Reader program to create books. They are learning that it is fun to be an author of their own book. Fourth grade students have created and 3D printed their name tag plates. We are using the TinkerCad program to design unique bubble wands that produce multiple bubbles. This is an ongoing project that will end with us using our 3D Makerbot printer to print the wands and try them out.

- Kristen Rinehart Havens

Order Your Lifetouch Yearbook @ https://ybpay.lifetouch.com. Enter the OTS/TES Yearbook ID code. It is one yearbook for BOTH schools:

Old Turnpike School (and TES) ID CODE: 9456323

Do you have photos you want to submit to the OTS/TES yearbook? Sharing your school year photos has never been easier! Let’s build a community of memories that will last a lifetime - together. If you are interested in submitting school photos for the yearbook please use the community link here:

Website: https://community.lifetouch.com/invite?code=TEWKSBURY-23

Yearbook Invite Code: TEWKSBURY-23

Any questions please reach out to Ms. Rinehart Havens

It’s volleyball season at TES! Students are learning basic volleyball terminology and skills. Our oldest students are working towards playing modified volleyball games. Our youngest learners are working on tossing and catching the ball.

- Ms. Mukherjee and Mr. Wooby

Tewksbury Family Assistance (TFAF) is a local nonprofit organization that was started in 1993 to provide temporary assistance to community members who are in financial need as a result of unemployment, major illness, divorce, or other hardships. The Tewksbury Family Assistance Fund provides temporary assistance to community members who may need support with:

• Housing Expenses
• Utility Bills
• Medical Expenses
• Groceries
• Auto Insurance
• Moving Expenses
• School Supplies

If you or someone you know is in need of support, please contact:

Kelly Cullen, RN - School Nurse at OTS 908-439-2010 ext 4235

or

Nancy Morogiello, RN - School Nurse at TES 908-832-2594 ext 2011

All requests are kept confidential. Anonymity is STRICTLY PROTECTED.This organization is all volunteer and 100% of the money donated goes directly back into our community! This organization is truly neighbors helping neighbors.

Although it's been amazingly warm so far this weinter, please remember to put your child's name in all garments. Thank you!

If you have any student health-related questions, please contact Nancy Morogiello at nmorogiello@tewksburyschools.org or 908-832-2594 x2011. Report student absences prior to 9:00 AM by inputting to Pick Up Patrol.

Each homeroom has or soon will be visiting Mrs. Donovan's room for a discussion about "The Size of The Problem". By empowering students to view themselves as problem solvers and reminding them that reactions to problems should match with the size of the problems, we can help them develop these skills.

Problems were sorted into five levels. Be sure to ask your student about it; there were many interesting conversations! The older students enjoyed remembering how "not being first in line" felt like a HUGE problem when they were in kindergarten!

1. Tiny problems do not require any action. They are just a tiny problem. Examples include:

• not being first in line
• not getting your favorite spot on the carpet
• not being called on .

2. Small problems are small issues that students can handle themselves. Examples include:

• I don't have a pencil
• I need an eraser
• I don't like the game we are playing at recess

3. Medium problems are medium issues that a student may be able to handle, but an adult should be told to help if needed. Examples include:

• You forgot your lunch
• You broke your school computer
• Something is broken in the hallway

4. Big problems include any issue of safety, danger, or injury.
5. Huge problems are an emergency. The student must get adult attention and then follow directions.

Students were also asked to think about the different adult helpers they have in their life, both at home and school, helping kids identify these key people can help instill the concept that there are always always grown ups who can help.

- Mrs. Donovan, School Counselor

Spring is right around the corner! Outdoor learning at TES happens in many ways. Please consider helping us enhance our learning spaces outside. We have volunteers that are helping us replace our garden gates. The Tewksbury Education Association is donating some outdoor seating options. We could use help with preparing a space for a storage shed, donations of more seating options, and even someone that can remove a large poison ivy vine! Contact Karen Morrow with any questions. Thank you in advance.

- Karen Morrow

It's Back! TEF's family-friendly annual Tiger Trot will be returning to Christy Hoffman Park on May 21, 2023. The Tiger Trot is the culmination of our 4th grade Health and Wellness Program and a great way to get active with our community.

Join us for our one mile Color Run or timed 5k with many other opportunities to get active throughout the event. New this year will be our "Parent's Only Pre-Race Rally" at Sunken Silo Brewery on May 20th. Stay tuned for news on our TIger Trot T-Shirt Art Contest winner and other race registration news by visiting us at https://www.tewksburytef.org.

- Hope Kaufman, TEF President

Spring After School Clubs - Clubs begin March 13th

Scholastic Book Fair: 2/27 - 3/1 - Family Night on 3/1 from 6:00 to 7:30

Parent and Student (grades 3 & 4) Paint Night - March 16th

Teacher Appreciation Week: May 8th - May 12th

Here is a link to Mascio's Lunch Menu for TES. (Please note that you can sign up on this site to have the menu emailed to you each month.):

https://tewksburyschools.nutrislice.com/menu/tewksbury-elementary/lunch/2022-11-01

Maschio's Food Service supported our Read Across America activities by donating food for the Breakfast with Books activity that we enjoyed on February 27th. Miss Jen created special Seuss-themed head coverings and outfits for herself and Miss Diana. In addition, they will be serving green eggs and ham on Wednesday, March 1st. They are also planning a special Chef's Winter Picnic for March 14th. Thank you, Jen and Diana!

https://www.tewksburyschools.org/Page/3545

August 30th, 2023, is the First Day of School for students!